Process for stitching metal strip to edge portion of luggage shell



Sept. 23, 1969 s. KOFFLER 3,468,274

PROCESS FOR STITCHING METAL STRIP TO EDGE PORTION OF LUGGAGE SHELL FiledSept. 27. 19s? //Vl/EN70/?. 50L KOFFLER United States Patent M 3,468,274PROCESS FOR STITCHING METAL STRIP TO EDGE PORTION OF LUGGAGE SHELL SolKofiler, 600 Blackstone Blvd, Providence, RI. 02906 Filed Sept. 27,1967, Ser. No. 670,887 Int. Cl. Db /00 U.S. Cl. 112262 3 Claims ABSTRACTOF THE DISCLOSURE Manufacture of luggage, with frame valance comprisingmale and female, interfitting, metal, shell-edging strips, each with arearwardly extending web portion having a shallow V groove formaintaining alignment of needle and awl of a stitching machine andvalance and luggage shell sewed thereto.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention concerns improvementsin luggage manufacture which facilitate the maintenance of properalignment between the frame valances, the luggage shell sewed thereto,and the awl and needle of the sewing machine. The invention isparticularly useful in the sewing or stitching of metal strip valances,particularly those made from aluminum or other soft, awlpunchable metalsto the periphery of opposing edges of luggage shells. Maintenance of asteady, straight, punching and stitching line is one of the problemsconfronting the art in the manufacture of luggage of the characterdescribed, particularly soft shell luggage in which metal strip valancesare stitched on opposing edges of fabric soft shells by industrialsewing machines having an awl ahead of the needle for prepunching in thestitchreceiving web of the metal strip. The problems occasioned withmaintaining such steady, .straight lines are accentuated with theincrease of gauge or thickness of the web to be punched by the awlbecause, as the gauge of the web becomes greater, the tendency towardsmisalignment in the sewing machine increases as a result of the heavierpuncture stroke required to punch the heavier gauge with the punchingawl.

It is an object of the present invention to provide improvements in theattachment of metal edging strips sewed to shells of luggage through theutilization of shallow, V-shaped faces on the webs of said strips to bestitched to the aforesaid shells.

A further object is to provide improvements in the methods of punchingholes in metal members and the stitching thereof to fabric members bysewing machine having a punching awl immediately preceding the needlethrough the utilization of a shallow V-shaped face on the metal memberwith the awl punching its holes along its axis of the apex of theV-shaped member.

Still another object is to provide improvements for the maintenance ofalignment of the punching awl and needle with a metal strip and thefabric to be stitched thereto in sewing machines embodying an awl and aneedle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Briefly, the invention herein concerns methodswherein a web of a metal strip edging is punched and stitched on theedge of a luggage shell. The improvements herein arise through theutilization of a web or wall on said metal strip with a shallow,V-shaped face On said web or wall. The awl punctures the web at the apexof the V. This technique facilitates the maintenance of alignment of the.awl and needle with the metal edging by virtue of the tendency of thestrip to properly realign in the 3,468,274 Patented Sept. 23, 1969 eventthe needle should strike off center from the apex of the shallow V-face.

The resultant article of luggage comprises opposed, hollow shells withmetal strip valance on opposing edges thereof. The improvements of theinvention reside in the rearwardly extending, elongated web on eachmetal strip in a combination wherein an edge portion of each shelloverlies one face of the respective web, and the opposite face of eachweb constitutes a shallow V-face. The awl punches holes through therespective edge portion and web along the apex of the shallow V-face toprovide therealong holes to receive stitching for attachment of thevalance to the edge portion. One of the valances includes an elongatednose portion projecting forwardly thereof while the other valanceincludes walls defining an elongated groove adapted to receive the noseportion when the shells are closed. The aforesaid webs preferably areoffset from the outer face of each valance whereby the edge portions ofthe shells which overlap the webs lie in the respective offsets.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A preferred embodiment of the invention isillustrated in the drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a cross section through male and female valances on theopposing edges of luggage shells with the punching awl and needle showndiagrammatically.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of a segment of luggage with said valances;and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the luggage.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings, theluggage piece 10 comprises opposed, five-sided, hollow shells 11 and 12attached at their bottom edges by hinges (not shown). The opposed edgesof the shells respectively have male and female valances 13 and 14attached thereto by stitching 15. As shown in FIG. 1, the male valance13 comprises a metal strip, preferably extruded aluminum or otherrelatively soft, awl-punchable metal which has a nose portion 16 adaptedto be received in the channel 17 of the female valance 14. The strip 13further embodies a strengthening rib 18 and a rearwardly extending web19 having an outer face 20 offset from the outer face 21 of the noseportion 16. The peripheral edge portion 22 of the shell 11 lies in theoffset 23 provided between the faces 20 and 21, and the outer edgeportion 22 of the shell 11 is abutted substantially tightly against theoffset wall 23.

The opposite side or face of the Web 19 comprises a shallow, V-shapedwall 24. The apex 25 extends longitudinally of the strip and forms anawl-punching and needle stitching line extending longitudinally of theweb 19. When the web 19 becomes misaligned with respect to the needleand awl, whereby the needle strikes to one side or the other of the apex25, the diagonal planes 28 or 29 of the V-shaped face 24 tend to causethe web 24 to shift back to its proper alignment with the awl punchingat the apex 25. Thus, this shallow V-shaped wall functions to maintainproper alignment of the awl and needle with the valance 13.

The female valance 14 comprises an outer web 30, a connecting bight 31and a narrower lower web 32. These three walls form the channel 17 whichreceives the nose portion 16. The outer surface of the web 30 may havedecorative ribs 33.

A rearwardly extending web 34 projects from the bight portion 17 withits outer face 35 olfset from the outer face of web 30. The edge 36 ofthe other luggage shell 12 seats in the offset with its edgesubstantially tightly against the offset 37 of the female valance. Theweb 34 has a V-shaped face 38 similar to the previously describedV-shaped face 24, the function and purpose of which is the same as thatpreviously described.

The valances 13 and 14 are stitched to the shell edge portions 22 and 36by conventional industrial sewing machines with an awl 40 preceding theneedle 41 alOng the stitching line corresponding to the apex 25 of theshallow V-face 24. Should misalignment to either side of apex 25 occur,the striking of needle 41 against either diagonal leg 28 or 29 has theeffect of urging or deflecting the valances 13 or 14 back into a properalignment between the needle 41 and punched holes 42 along the apex ofthe shallow V-face 24. By maintaining proper needle alignment, theproper alignment of awl 40 is also maintained.

It is thought that the invention and its numerous attendant advantageswill be fully understood from the foregoing description, and it isobvious that numerous changes may be made in the form, construction andarrangement of the several parts without departing from the spirit orscope of the invention, or sacrificing any of its attendant advantages,the form herein disclosed being a preferred embodiment for the purposeof illustrating the invention.

The invention is hereby claimed as follows:

1. A process for stitching a metal strip having an outer face and anelongated web to an edge portion of a luggage shell comprising placingone face of said elongated web and said edge portion in overlappingrelationship,

the opposite face of said web being a shallow V-face,

punching said edge portion and said web with an awl to provide a seriesof holes along the apex of said shallow V, stitching said edge portionand web together with a threaded needle aligned with said awl, saidneedle entering the punched holes in the shallow V-face, andautomatically maintaining alignment of said needle and awl along saidapex by realignment of said needle when it strikes said shallow V-faceto one side of said punched holes through deflection of said web backinto alignment.

2. A process as claimed in claim 1 wherein said awl and said needlereciprocate into and out of said edge portion and said Web from oppositesides thereof.

3. A process as claimed in claim 1 wherein said one face of said web isoflset from said outer face of said metal strip to provide an offsetportion, and placing said edge portion in said offset portion.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,187,703 6/1965 Fake ll2262 XRICHARD J. SCANLAN, JR., Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

